Dry-distillation apparatus



Dec. 22 1925. 1,566,778

N. STATHAM DRY DI STILLATION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 12, 1921 E MM Patented Dec. 22, 1925.

[UNl'TED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.-

nonr. BTATHAM, or mvmeron, new vonmnssrenonjrownsr vrnemmronr Ann PAPER COMPANY, on NEW YORK, n. 3., A conronnrron or DELAWARE.

DRY-DISTILLATION Arman-rite.

Application filed' December 12, 1921. Serial No. 521,663.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NOEL STATHAM, a sub-- ject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Irvington, county of Westchester,

State of New York, have made acertain new and useful Invention Relating to Dry- Distillation Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates especially'todry distillation apparatus comprising a large rotary chamber or retort in which acetone and similar vonnile organic solvents may be efii: ciently produced from wood waste material such as the acetate material referred to in the Statham Patent 1,298,594, and the Drewsen Patent 1,298,480, both of March 25,

1919-; the process of distillation being preferably conducted in the general manner described in my copending application Serial No. 273,539, filed January 28, 1919 and Serial No. 520,402 renewed June 30, 1921.

This wood acetate material containing large proportions of lime and organic matter may 2 be continuousl fed in somewhat moist granular condition into the preliminary roasting or treating chamber ofthe retort in which it is heated and continuously agitated by the rotation of the retort and by special distributing agitating ribs projecting inward therefrom at suitable temperatures which seems to considerably promote the formation of a :etates in this material. Then the heated material passes on into the main distilling chamber of the retort of somewhat smaller opening or diameteralon which it is progressively .fed by the inchnation .of the retort at .shch a rate that it takes a number of hours to pass through the retort its discharge end so that the organic material is subjected to a dry distillation and carbonizing action. This main section of the retort is preferably formed with a number of gas retarding iaphragms or transverse partitions which reduce or more or less cut down the effective cross section of the retort so thatmore definite heating conditions can be secured at the different progressively heating sections. This seems particularly advantageous in connection .with the use of superheated steam adjacent the carbonizing or discharge end of the retort where a numwhich-is heated hotter and hotter toward,

her of jets of steam are admitted to improve the operation.

In the accompanying drawing showingin a somewhat diagrammatic way an illustrative embodiment of this invention- 1 is a longitudinal sectional view show ng the retort and its mountings.

Figs. '2, 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views showing difl'erent retarding diaphragms.

Fig. 5 1s a transverse section showing the agitating ribs and taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse views showing other retarding diaphragms taken along crete or the like and some of these bearing rolls such as 10, 13, 16 and 19 may be rotated, or, if desired, a rotating crown gear may be positively rotated if it is desired to more definitely control the speed of. rota.- tion and thus regulate the speed with which the material is gradually fed along the.

slightly inclined retort. A feed head or connection 29 may be arrangedat the upper end of the retort through which the raw acetate material may be continuousl or otherwisesupplied and through whic the gases and vapors maybe discharged. This substantially airtight feed head communicates withthe preliminary roasting chamber 5 of the retort which ma be 10 to 15 feet in diameter and 20 to 35 set long according to the capacity desired. This roastin chamber may be enclosed in the masonry eating chamber 6 so that this retort section may be externally heated to the desired temperature of 450 to 550 F. more or less. The ligneous acetate material is thus dried and simultaneously agitated b the rotation of the retort shell and the internal agitating to promote theflformation of acetates in such crude or ligneous acetate material as has been referred to so that the yield of acetone therefrom is considerably increased.

After this preliminary heating and roasting of the material the organic acetate material automatically passes into the main distilling chamber 1 of the retort which may be 5 to 7 feet in diameter more or less and mounted at a slight inclination of a fraction of an inch per foot so that the rotation of the retort shell gradually feeds the material along the retort towards .its discharge end where a discharging device automatically raises the material and distributes it into the stationary chute or conveyor 26. The discharge device' 25 may advantageously be of the type illustrated and described in United States patent to Ten Broeck and \Veston, No. 1,350,627, patented August 24, 1920. This main section of the retort is heated progressively in any desired number of heating chambers such as 21,22 and 23 in which gas or other heating devices may be used to heat the retort shell to such temperatures as 650 F. or so in the chamber 21 for example; 700 to 800 F. in the chamber 22 and 900 to 950 F., for instance, in the final heating .chamber 23. enclosing the carbonized'section of the retort. This main distilling and carbonizing chamber of the retort may be 80 to.

120 feet long more or less and may be provided with internally projecting ribs or a 1 tating devices at various points. such as t e ribs or flights 32 shown as secured to the retort shell 1 in Fig. 5 and projecting inward considerably therefrom. In this way the organic acetate material is raised with the shell and agitated as" it is raised and dropped 1 again so as to be quite'unifoi'mly distributed and its uniform heating-promoted at different parts or sections of the retort chamber.

This is also promoted by installing a number of diaphragms at'dilferent points along the retort so that the effective or open cross section thereof is considerably reduced.- Several such central diaphragms as =may be mounted on suplports or spacers secured to the retort shel so that the diaphragm may shut off the central art of the retort chamber and considerab y retard the movement of gases thereinin connection with the ligneous acetate material which, of course, occupies a considerable part of the cross section 'the steam is very in the lower and'ascending sides of the retort.

Between or in connection with such central opening diaphragm shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. These diaphragms are installed successively so as to have progressively displaced circumferential openings of sector shape or other suitable contour. Such diaphragms may bearranged at intervals of four to eight feet apart or so throughout the main distilling chamber or retort, if desired, and

they are particularly advantageous in the hotter parts of this distilling chamber where 8 to 12- or so may be advantageously ar ranged at suitable intervals, in some cases with agitating ribs 32 between them. As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the circumferential or sector shape opening 36 whichmay be aquarter of the area of the diaphragm 33 may be arranged at an angle of about 120 from the opening 34 in the succeeding diaphragm while the opening 35 in the next diaphragm is still further angularly displaced. In this way convection currents of the gases in the retort chamber are controlled or prevented from assuming undesirable proportions so that the temperatures of the different sections can be more effectively controlled. One or more steam distributing or injecting pipes such as 27 may be arranged in or ad acent the discharge end of the retort and ma extend 15 to'20 feet up the same with a vantage. As shown in Fig. 1 the steam injecting pipe 27 is provided with a number of more or less radial small diameter distributing nozzles or holes 28' which may be located on both sides of 'the diaphragm 33so that the superheated .steam may be brought forcibly into engagement with.-the organic material in this part of the. retort to effect its final conversion, especially where highly heated .before it is injected.

This invention has been described in connect-ion with a number of illustrative forms,

proportions, parts, arrangements, sizes, materials, temperatures, conditions and methods of use to the details of which disclosure the invention is not, of course, to be limited since"' What is claimed as new and what is ,ated

diameter treating chamber connected to said distilling chamber, a feed device to feed material into said treating chamber, a substantially airtight discharge device communicatin with said distillmg chamber, gradu-' eating means cooperating with said distillirigand treating chamber and comprising a series'of heating compartments and coo erating :heating vices to maintain sai heating compartments at different predetermined temperatures, means to continuously rotate said treating and distilling chamber to agitate and uniformly heatthe acetate material in each. part of the chamber and radually feed .such material into a moreliighly heated portion of said chan'ubcr, and a: series of transverse. diaphragn'is in said distilling chamber. 7

2. In ap 'aratus adapted for treating and distilling igneous acetate material, a combined rotary treating and distillmg chamber iormed"p, sheet metal and comprising'an elongated distilling chamber having a series I diameter, 1 and graduated heating means cooperating with said distillin and treating chamber, means to rotate sai treating and ,ftreatin'g' cham er connecte as retardin devices and a d to said distilling chamberand having a greatly increased of transverse distilling chamber to agitate and uniformly heat the acetate material in each part of the chamber andadually feed such material into a more Ii ighly heated portion of said chamberr 3. In a aratus adapted for treatingand distilling igneous acetate material, an elongated substantially cylindrical rotary distilling chamber, and a communicating large capacity treating chamber, a feed device to feed material into said treating chamber, a

substantially airtight discharge device communicating'with said distilling chamber, a steam injecting pipe extendin through said discharge device, graduated eatmg means cooperating with saiddistilling and treating chamber, and 'a series of: transverse gas retarding diaphragms mounted in saiddistilling chamber and comprising a series of eccentric openin diaphra ms in which the opening is angu arly disp aced 1n ad acent diaphragms.

4. In apparatus adapted for treating and distilling ligneous acetate material, an elongated substantially cylindrical rotary dis} her and comprisinga series of heatin comtillin chamber, and a communicating enlarge diameter treating chamber, a feed device to feed material into said treatingchamber,a substantially airtight discharge device communicating with said distilling chamber, graduated heating means cooperating with said distilling and treating champartments and cooperating heating evices to maintain said heating compartments at different predetermined temperatures, and a series of transverse gas retarding diaphra-gms mounted in'the hotter part of said distilling chamber and comprising a series of sector opemng dlaphragms m which the opening 1s pro resslvely angularly displaced.

distilling hgneous acetate material, an elongated substantially cylindrical rotary distilling chamber, and a communicating treating c amber of greater diameter, a feed device tofeed'material into said treating chamber, graduated heating meansco-operating with said distilling and treating chamber and comprising a series of heating compartments and 3 cooperating heating devices to maintain said heating compartments at different predetermined temperatures, and a series of transverse gas retarding die-- phra ms mounted in the hotter part of said disti ling'chamber and comprising a series of sector opening diaphragms in which the" o ening is progressively angularly disp aced. I Y 6. In apparatus adapted for treating and distillin igneous acetate material, an elonated su stantially cylindrical rotary distiling chamber, and a communicating large capacitytreating chamber,a feed device to feed material into saidtreating chamber, a substantially airtight discharge device communicating with said distilling chamber, a steam injecting pipe extendin through said discharge device, graduated eating means cooperating'with s'aid distilling and treating chamber, and a series of transverse gas retardin diaphragms mounted in said distilling c amber and comprisingv eccentric opening diaphragms.

7. In apparatus adapted for treating and distilling l1 gated distil ing chamber having a len th of over feet, means to feed materia into said chamber, graduated heating means cooperating with said chamber, means to retate said chamber to'agitate and uniformly heat the acetate material in each part of the chamber and adually feed such material into a more highly heated portion of said chamber and a series of transverse gas re1.

Vv ber, a stationary feed device having an annular joint with said treating chamber, a

cone acetate material, an elon 70 5. n ap aratus adapted for treating and a series of V-shaped a itating ribs projecting inward from the shefi of said treating chamber to agitate the material and simultaneously distributethe same longitudinally of the chamber and graduated heating means cooperating with distilling and treating chambers to progressively heat the same to different predetermined temperatures.

9. In apparatus "adapted 'for "treating ligneous acetate material, a slightlyinclined rotary distilling chamber'iformed of sheet metal, provided with a plurality of heating compartment-s, means for maintaining different temperature conditions in each com- 1,seo,77s v partment including independent external heating means assoclated with each compartmentand diaphragms adapted to minimize the convection currents between said compartments while permitting the material topass gradually from compartment to compartment through apertures in said diaphragms said apertures being eccentrically disposed in each diaphragm and angularly disposed relative to each other and means for rotating said distilling chamber to cause the material under treatment to pass gradually through the series of compartments.

NOEL STATHAM. 

